Parking for Faculty and Staff

Any benefits-eligible employee of the university may purchase one of these parking permits, depending on eligibility requirements outlined below. Graduate assistants (GTAs and GRAs) do not meet the requirements for employee parking permits.

Parking permit prices

Surface Lots

Park & Ride — $100/yr

Remote West Campus parking with a bus route to connect to the central core of campus. Buses run Monday through Friday 6:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m. when classes are in sessionThe Park & Ride parking lots (301 & 302) are located on West Campus near 23rd & Iowa, and then you get on a bus that takes you directly to Main Campus.

Route 41 is the Park & Ride bus, and the schedule can be found on the Lawrence Transit web site.

Yellow — $200/yr

Any employee may choose to purchase a yellow permit. These permits are valid in yellow and Park & Ride zones.

Red — $220/yr

Red permits are the standard parking permit usually offered to any full- or part-time employee. These permits are valid in red, yellow, Park & Ride, and University Housing zones, except at Alumni Place (scholarship halls).

Blue — $240/yr

Employees must have a combined age and years of service of 62 in order to qualify for a blue permit. These permits are valid in blue, red, yellow, Park & Ride, and University Housing zones, except at Alumni Place (scholarship halls).

Gold — $285/yr

To purchase a gold permit, employees must have a combined age and years of service of 70 and also work in a building that is within the central core of campus. These permits are valid in gold, blue, red, yellow, Park & Ride, and University Housing zones, except at Alumni Place (scholarship halls).

Parking Garages

Employees may purchase red ($285), blue ($305) or gold ($350) permits for either garage. Garage permits are not valid in certain parking lots, which are listed in section 5.6 of the Parking Regulations. The age + service criteria listed above also apply to blue and gold garage permits.

Mississippi Street Parking Garage

There are no building restrictions for the Mississippi Street parking garage.

Allen Fieldhouse Parking Garage

Employees whose primary office location is in one of the following buildings may purchase an Allen Fieldhouse Parkign Garage permit: Art & Design, Dole, Eaton, Green Haworth, Learned, Lindley, Murphy, Malott, Military Science, or Robinson.

Retiree Parking

Retirees from the university are eligible for two kind of parking permits. They may purchase a retiree permit for $75, or obtain a Park & Ride permit for free.

Age + Service

We often get asked "when will I qualify for a blue/gold permit?" Here is an example of how to figure it out:
If I am 32, with 9 years of service, my number is 41. Then subtract that from 62 to get 21, and divide by 2 to figure out that I will have to work another 10.5 years at KU to qualify for a blue permit.

To calculate age + service, our system automatically picks up your years of service to KU. However, if you've worked elsewhere for the State of Kansas, we do count that, too.


The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression and genetic information in the University’s programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Director of the Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access, IOA@ku.edu, 1246 W. Campus Road, Room 153A, Lawrence, KS, 66045, (785)864-6414, 711 TTY.